Kirk Franklin on the Jesse Duplantis Jet Controversy: We Must Call Out Abuses of Power in Ministry

By now, you’ve probably seen the video of televangelist Jesse Duplantis asking viewers to buy him a $54 million jet. In the clip, he said, “I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the Earth today he wouldn’t be riding a donkey. Think about that for a minute. He’d be in an airplane preaching the gospel all over the world.” He also said that God told him, “I didn’t ask you to pay for it. I asked you to believe for it.”

Now, music star Kirk Franklin is sounding off on the controversy. In an Instagram post, he explained why it’s so important that ministry leaders be held accountable for dangerous teachings.

He wrote this next to an image of Duplantis:

This is Jessie Duplantis. A televangelist who has four planes, and is now telling us that “Jesus” wants us to buy him another one. I’m posting this because now that we see popular culture stand up to the injustices in mainstream society, I believe the church should do the same for its own as well.

WE should take the lead when there is an abuse of power that affects our message to the masses; our silence can be as loud as the bigotry and racism we see in the public square. Many of these “ministries” built their wealth on the backs of poor rural minorities that put their trust in the hands of “god’s shepherds” only to see the prosperity benefit those doing the preaching. Again, there are GREAT Christian leaders, and there is NOTHING wrong with having a plane… but if the burden falls on the less fortunate and GREED is the check written by those drowning in socio-economic rivers of systemic disparities, GOD is not flying that plane.